The Renegade Hero
by shadowofcanada
Summary: Horace and Yong have bested some pretty powerful enemies before, but none of that compares to the challenges they face now, in "glorious" Haven City. The pair are thrown into a war against, not only the creatures threatening the city, but also the city's ruler. But what is causing these threats? And why? OCs alert. HKLili (JakxKeira), KorTai (DaxxTess), SwissOC (TornxAshelin)
1. Chapter 1 - The Time of Trial Begins

**A note for my lovely readers: I know it has been a while since I have posted, so I decided to start up another fic! This one is a bit more my style of writing, so, with any luck, it should be a bit better than my previous one. Please note, much of the dialogue, etc. is taken from the script from the game Jak II, so credit goes to Naughty Dog there. At least two OCs will be showing up in the near future, so watch for them! I do not own Jak and Daxter, Jak II, or any of Naughty Dog's characters, settings, etc, nor do I own Hetalia. Thank you for reading and please enjoy~!**

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**Chapter 1 – The Time of Trial Begins**

_"For every age, there is a time of trial. The rocks faced such a fire before they were the strength beneath our feet. The plants braved vast winds before their roots could give us life. As a sage of considerable years, I have known only one such great ordeal. Yet the hero it created was a champion of all time." – Roderich the Sage._

_That hero, Horace Wang, along with his friend and companion, Yong Soo, had already proven their worth in battle against several foes. Just days earlier, they had discovered a plot to destroy the villages that made up the civilization of the continent, when they, despite the advice of the sage of their village, went to Misty Island – a dangerous island not far from the village, inhabited by strange creatures called Lurkers – to explore. They found an artifact left by the Precursors – ancient beings that left the world ages ago without any warning, which every sage in the area spent much of their lives studying – which, without knowing how, Horace managed to activate. Inadvertently, when a lurker attacked the pair and Horace threw the artifact at it, it exploded, sending Horace flying back into Yong, which sent the unfortunate boy into a pool of dark eco – a dangerous, black ooze-like substance, which, along with the other types of eco, made up the life force of the planet. When Horace turned to see if he could find his friend, the other boy was sent flying out of the eco. When Horace actually got to look at Yong, though, it was shown that he had taken on an entirely new appearance. Instead of his normal, human appearance – fairly short, olive skin, black hair with a ridiculous curl sticking up off of one side of his head, a white and blue hanbok covering his body, black shoes, leg wraps, and white pants under – he was now a black, weasel-like creature, the only parts of his clothing remaining being a pair of black, fingerless gloves and a pair of goggles sitting on his head. Horace, amused but concerned for his friend, took Yong back to the sage, Roderich Edelstein, to see if anything could be done about the unlucky boy's odd fate. Roderich then sent the pair out to find the other sages, with a bit of convincing from his daughter, Lili, in order to discover if any of them knew a way to reverse the effects of the dark eco. Before long, Horace and Yong had traveled to every village, just to discover that the other sages had been captured by one of their fellow sages, who had studied dark eco and had been corrupted, along with his sister, by the very same material. The crazed sage captured Roderich as well, taking him and the other sages to his hideout, and he and his sister began setting into action their plan – to flood the villages with dark eco. After a long, intense battle, Horace managed to defeat the siblings, using light eco, which Yong, in a noble sacrifice, tossed to him, thus giving up his only chance to return to his normal form. With the corrupted siblings defeated and their villages saved, Horace and Yong became the heroes they were destined to be. Horace, having been realizing his feelings for Lili throughout the entirety of his adventure, even almost got a kiss from the girl, only to be interrupted by Yong. After a few moments, the small group discovered a Precursor door, which, upon opening, they found another artifact, this one large and much different than anything they had encountered before. It seemed very similar to the Warp Gates – teleporters of sorts – that they had used to travel between the villages, only much… larger… This instantly sparked Horace, Yong, Lili, and Roderich's curiosity, which is where our current story begins…_

Horace's face showed excitement as he stood quietly in front of the artifact he and his friend, Yong, had recovered earlier. Lili and her father, Roderich, who had been studying things like this for years, had only a vague idea of what this thing could possibly do, which only made Horace more curious.. Yong, the other half of their heroics group, was fast asleep, his small, furry form curled up on the seats of the machine – an unattached part of the artifact that seemed to allow the user to access its functions. Lili was standing behind Yong on the machine, scanning the ring a few feet away from them, and looking even more excited than Horace. Not that Horace ever showed much emotion, even when it was clear he was experiencing one. Roderich approached the trio then, speaking to Horace.

"Today is the big day, Horace. I hope you are prepared… for whatever happens."

He seemed a bit nervous about activating the artifact, but still very excited. He had spent many, many years studying artifacts such as this, and this was, by far, the best one he had seen yet. Horace said nothing in reply. He never spoke. In fact, not even Yong had ever heard his voice, in all the years they had been friends. Lili glanced over at Horace after her father had finished speaking, gesturing at the giant ring across the way from them that made up the other half of the artifact.

"I think I figured out most of this machine. It interacts somehow with that large Precursor Ring. I just hope we didn't break anything moving it here to the lab."

She sat down in one of the seats. Horace slid into the seat next to her, looking like he was going to try and get the kiss Yong had interrupted previously. Of course, Yong chose that moment wake up and pop up between them again. Horace glared at his fuzzy friend.

"Easy for _you_ to say, da ze! _We_ did all the heavy lifting, da ze!"

Yong made a mock-annoyed face at Lili, but it quickly became his usual jovial and curious expression. He looked at an egg-shaped piece of the artifact that, in theory, would allow them to access its functions. He put up a finger to touch it, but Roderich's sharp, scolding shout stopped it in its tracks.

"Yong! Don't touch anything! Though the Precursors vanished long ago, the artifacts they left behind can still do great harm."

Roderich had appeared in the seat next to Horace and he was close enough to, if Yong tried anything again, smack him soundly with the staff he carried. Horace and Yong both rolled their eyes. While they both respected Roderich as a smart, wise man, they also had a nasty habit of not listening to his warnings. Thus, how Yong had ended up as he was. Lili spoke up in reply to her father's comment.

"Or great good! If you figure out how to use them."

She glanced over at Roderich, a big smile on her face. Roderich seemed to acknowledge the point, his eyes drifting to the giant ring that was a part of this strange machine.

"I've had some experience with such things. I know you can make it work."

Horace looked between the father and daughter, then something in front of him caught his eye. It was a red, shield-shaped gem set into a golden piece. It looked a bit like a button. With some hesitation, his hand pressed it, causing the item Yong had been about to mess with to open suddenly. Lili immediately looked to the now-opened piece, her green eyes wide and curious. Yong did not seem at all surprised.

"Looks like Horace's still got the mojo, da ze!"

Lili tilted her head slightly, her eyes following the movement of the item.

"Interesting… it appears to be reading out some preset coordinates."

She looked excitedly towards Horace and her father. Both Roderich and Horace both seemed thrilled by these happenings, but Roderich seemed to be becoming more and more nervous about it. Just as suddenly as it had opened, the strange egg snapped shut, causing Lili to gasp and shrink away from it, and the ring on the back of the seats began to spin. The previously clear, blue sky darkened, and a blue-purple beam flew out of the machine, colliding with the ring across from them. As the spinning of the ring behind them quickened, the ring across from them began spinning, a ring within that one spinning opposite to and faster than the larger, and a gate-like purple light forming in the inner. The rings began to rise, breaking a few feet off of the wooden ramp-like platform it was resting on, and the speed of the rings' rotations continued increasing. The sparks from the machine had ceased, but still the gate rings gyrated and floated. The four people stared incredulously at the gate, silent, until Yong spoke up enthusiastically.

"Wow, look at that, da ze!"

Horace and Lili both seemed to relax somewhat at those words until a loud, growling voice echoed through the gate.

"Finally! The last Rift Gate has been opened!"

The sky went black and a swarm of some sort of strange winged creatures came flying through the rings, startling all those aboard the artifact. Yong shrieked and ducked down behind the control panel, out of sight.

"What are those things, da ze?!"

Roderich scanned the sky, wonder in his eyes and worry on his face.

"So THIS is how it happened…"

Suddenly, a huge, hideous creature appeared in the purple light of the gate, bellowing at Horace in a nightmarish voice.

"You cannot hide from me, boy!"

Needless to say, everyone sitting in the seats of that strange machine was terrified. Lili, in a panic, turned in her seat to look at Horace.

"Do something, Horace!"

Yong got back up, randomly beginning to press any button he saw, desperately trying to find some way to get away from the horrific creature.

"What's this do, da ze? Or that, da ze! How 'bout this one, da ze? Everybody, press all the buttons, da ze!"

Horace, not really knowing what else to do, pressed the glowing red gem again. It had worked before, right? Instead of shutting down the portal, however, the machine shot forward, up the ramp, and towards the monstrous being. Against all odds, they managed to avoid it, being flung, instead, into the portal, the light becoming blinding and forcing them to close their eyes. When they opened them again, the machine was jerkily flying along in a purple tunnel of light beams, similar to the ones that had opened the portal. All four clung to the bar on the control panel of the machine, praying not to fall off and into the unknown. Lili glanced briefly to her right at the others, then had to look forward again to avoid getting sick.

"What was that thing?!"

Roderich could not have answered if he had wanted to. Instead, he held tighter to the front.

"Hang on, everyone!"

After a moment, Yong began screaming, turning his head to look up at Horace.

"I want off this thing, da ze!"

Without warning, a bolt of the purple light shot out and struck the machine, destroying it and sending the four hurtling off. Lili screamed as she was whipped off to Horace's left. Roderich called out to Horace as he was carried off to the right.

"Find yourself, Horace!"

Yong managed to keep himself next to Horace and, after a few moments of hurtling out of control, the two managed to direct themselves, sticking together until they were, rather suddenly, thrown out of the portal. They landed painfully hard on some sort of metal walkway, Yong skidding to a stop next to Horace's legs, still gripping a piece of the machine tightly in both hands. Horace dizzily pushed himself up, looking around at their new surroundings in amazement. They were no longer in their happy, nature-filled village. They now seemed to be in a huge, cheerless, metal city. As Horace looked around, Yong glanced at the bar in his hands in disgust, angrily throwing it to the ground.

"Okay, I swear that's the last time I ever, EVER, touch any stupid Precursor crap, da ze!"

He raged to himself, crossing his arms. A sound caught the two boys' attention, then, and they looked up. A small group of men in full red, white, and black armor, led by a taller, thinner man wearing similar armor, only in yellow, and with the visor of his helmet up, approached the duo.

"There he is. Move in."

Horace and Yong looked curiously at the men. The group stopped just a few feet away from them, their guns drawn and pointed somewhat threateningly at Horace.

"Step away from the animal!"

Yong, now very freaked out, screeched and dove between the leader's legs, dashing away on all fours. Horace was too focused on the tall man to even notice his friend's retreat. One of the men in red was about to go after Yong, but the one in yellow stopped him. His voice was harsh as he snapped out his order.

"Forget the rat. The Baron wants him!"

Horace's face showed a bit of fear as he backed slowly away from them. His eyes flicked about for an escape route, but he did not see one. One of the men in red armor followed Horace's attempted retreat, holding his gun more threateningly than before. The one in yellow spoke again, a wicked smirk on his face.

"We've been waiting for you."

As he said this, the red armored man lifted his gun and bashed Horace in the head with it. Horace blacked out, the last thing he had heard before being knocked out echoing in the black of unconsciousness.

"Don't worry, Horace, da ze! I'll save you before you know it, da ze!"

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**A list of current characters for those poor confused people:**

**Horace Wang: Hong Kong/Jak**

**Yong Soo: South Korea/Daxter**

**Roderich Edelstein the Sage: Austria/Samos Hagai the Sage**

**Lili Edelstein: Liechtenstein/Keira Hagai**

**Another note from the author: I truly do apologize for not uploading anything in forever, but I simply had no inspiration. With a lot of poking and prodding from my wonderful friends and the aquiring of a new Playstation 2, I finally got this idea. After a lot of proofreading from those same wonderful friends, I have gained the confidence to post this, at long last. This will be multiple chapters, so please have patience with me. Please review and have a spectacular day~**


	2. Chapter 2 - The Darkness Within

**Chapter two, for your enjoyment. I hope you are ready. OC number one appears! Note: For the computer, try to picture the narrator's voice. That is kind of how I picture it.**

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**Chapter 2 – The Darkness Within**

Two years passed with no word from Yong.

In a room glowing with green light, Horace lay on a table; his growling cries having no affect whatsoever on the two men standing next to him. A huge machine, attached to the ceiling, sent a purple ray of electrified dark eco at Horace, zapping him and causing him extreme amounts of pain. The purple light traveled all along his body as he struggled to get out of the restraints, his body arching, then falling back onto the table, only to be repeated again and again. A female voice came from the computer then, and the zapping stopped, allowing Horace to collapse.

"Dark Eco injection cycle complete. Bio readings nominal and unchanged."

These words were how every one of these interactions had gone. His body was as stubborn as he was, and this was the very reason he had been undergoing this very thing every day for the past two years. The larger man – both in height and girth – standing beside Horace growled softly in annoyance.

"Hmph. Nothing! I was informed that this one might be different!"

His voice was deep and angry, fitting for one of his size and malignance. The smaller man, the very same man who had captured Horace two years prior, spoke up in reply.

"He is surprisingly resistant to your 'experiments', Baron Tannous. I fear the Dark Warrior program has failed."

The baron snarled angrily, grabbing the nearly-unconscious Horace's hair and pulling his head up, roaring in his face.

"You should at least be dead with all the dark eco I've pumped into you!"

The baron released his hair, allowing his head to drop back onto the table. His half-closed eyes absently slid back and forth between the baron and the other man, his vision going in and out of focus as the two men conversed. The guard spoke heatedly, his voice sounding somewhat concerned with this situation.

"What now? Metal Head armies are pressing their attacks. Without a new weapon, my men cannot hold them off forever!"

The baron turned to him, his only visible eye burning with hate, and his voice growing louder.

"I will not be remembered as the man who lost this city to those vile creatures!"

He walked toward the guard, his voice turning commanding.

"Move forward with the final plan! And finish off this… 'thing' tonight!"

The baron marched away. The guard gave a quick salute.

"As you wish."

He went over to Horace, grabbing the young man's collar and pulling him up slightly.

"I'll be back later."

He released Horace's collar, allowing him to flop back down on the table, and walked after the baron. Horace breathed heavily as he watched the two men walk away, his vision getting more and more blurry. He was going to die, though whether from all the experimenting that had been done on him or from the guard killing him later, he did not know. He slipped into unconsciousness just as a small _thump_ sounded next to him. This thump was followed closely by a floating platform, holding none other than Yong Soo.

"Ding, ding, third floor, da ze… Body chains, roach food, torture devices, da ze."

The platform floated up and over Horace, carrying Yong with it. When it was just above Horace, Yong jumped off and onto Horace's chest, causing Horace's upper half to bounce slightly on the table. He did not wake up, though. Yong did not seem to notice this, however, and kept going with his obnoxious little game.

"Hey buddy, you seen any heroes around here, da ze?"

Then he looked down. His eyes widened at how beat up Horace was, and he looked the young man up and down in shock.

"Whoa, da ze! What'd they do to you, da ze?!"

He looked back at Horace's face to see that he still had not opened his eyes. He was breathing very hard still, and Yong was becoming increasingly worried about his friend. Yong crouched down on Horace's chest.

"Horace, it's me, Yong, da ze!"

Horace lifted his head off the table briefly, looking at Yong, then collapsed back down again, too exhausted to keep his head up. Yong stood back up, putting his hands on his hips.

"That's a fine hello, da ze! I've been crawling around in this place risking my tail, literally, to save you, da ze!"

He stepped down slightly, onto Horace's stomach, causing Horace to try to curl up in pain, only to have his restraints stop him, and he fell painfully back down. Yong's voice was steadily growing higher in pitch as he continued in his worried little rant.

"I've been looking for you for two years, da ze! Say something, da ze! Just this once, da ze!"

Yong crouched down again, gently taking hold of Horace's collar and shaking him slightly. Horace, who seemed to have been fighting something back inside of him since he had tried to sit up, made a strange face, and, suddenly, his brown eyes shot open, burning with rage. He growled out in a deep voice that sounded like, if it were not for the pure rage that it currently contained, it would normally be rather emotionless, four words that echoed in the room and made Yong jump in fright.

"I'm gonna kill Tannous!"

Yong quickly covered Horace's mouth with a hand, putting a finger to his lips.

"Shhhhhh! Right now, we gotta get you outta here, da ze."

Horace went quiet, but his breathing picked up speed and became even more labored than before, turning into more growling than just breathing. Yong scampered over to the left wrist restraint, continuing talking mostly to himself as he tried to figure out how the manacles worked.

"Just let me figure out how to open the security locks for your chair so I…"

Horace, still breathing heavily, balled his fists and tensed all his muscles. Finally, the growling gave way to a single, somewhat loud roar as he tore the shackles off of the table, his whole body changing. Yong leaped off of the table in surprise, looking at Horace in shock. Horace's skin and hair had become ghostly white, his nails growing into dangerous, black claws, and his once brown, emotionless eyes had gone completely black, containing only the purest of rage. He sat up and looked down at his hand and its claws, taking them in. Yong was a bit freaked out by this, but he took it in stride, trying to brush it off with a joke.

"Or… aaahh… you could do it, da ze."

Horace's eyes flicked from his hand to his friend, not even a glimmer of recognition in his murderous black eyes. Yong became even more nervous as the beast leaped off the table, stumbling slightly as he hit the ground. He quickly righted himself and glared once more at the weasel boy. Yong stepped, very slightly and very cautiously, toward Horace, holding out a hand to attempt to calm the enraged man.

"Horace, da ze…?"

Horace stood up straight, starting towards Yong with determined steps. Yong stood his ground, if a bit shakily.

"Easy now, da ze. Easy buddy, da ze."

Yong glanced behind him, trying to find a route of escape, in case things got uglier and he had to flee, as Horace continued forward, still showing no recognition. Yong saw no escape, so he continued trying to talk Horace out of his berserk state.

"It's… it's your old pal, Yong, da ze… Remember, da ze?"

Horace did not seem to remember. Yong began backing away then, seeing this. When he had reached the end of the platform they were on, he cringed; putting up his small arms in what he knew would be a futile attempt to protect himself. Horace raised his clawed hand, preparing to tear the poor weasel apart. He gave a terrifying growl and went to thrust his claws through Yong's arms and into his chest and stomach. He stopped suddenly, though, and his body returned to normal, his skin going back to its olive coloration, and his hair, now down to his back, re-became the shining dark brown it usually was.

"Y-Yong?"

Horace stumbled back dizzily, his head spinning, and he put a hand to his head as a nasty headache came upon him. Somehow, he managed to shake it off enough to stand up and force a deadpan onto his face. Yong, almost immediately, shook off his near death experience, looking up at Horace with an absolute 'WTF' face.

"What the heck was that, da ze?! Sheesh, remind me not to piss you off, da ze!"

He circled around to Horace's other side, still talking as he did so, Horace turning to follow his movement.

"Come on tall, dark, and gruesome, da ze. We're outta here, da ze!"

Horace nodded and began walking in the direction the baron and his guard had gone, Yong leaping up onto Horace's shoulder.

"I, uh, brought you some new threads, da ze. Put 'em on, da ze."

Horace nodded quietly; slipping off the tattered rags he had been wearing and putting on the clothes Yong had brought for him. The clothes consisted of a blue duangua, lined with brown, white pants with white gauze leg wraps going up to about his knees, shoes the same color as his duangua, a pair of brown sashes strapped across his chest, meeting in the middle of his chest in an 'X', brown wristbands, brown, fingerless gloves, a brown belt with a pouch on his left hip, and goggles similar to Yong's sitting on his head. He glanced at Yong and nodded slightly, silently thanking him for the new outfit. Yong grinned, giving Horace a thumbs up, then pointed to the door.

"Alright, big guy, let's get out of here, da ze!"

Horace nodded and approached the door, then, thinking a bit more logically, turned away from it, scanning the room quietly for a moment. His eyes passed over a large air duct and he smirked a bit. It was a bit too high to jump to, but there were some boxes nearby, which were conveniently light enough to push to just under the air duct. He leaped up onto the boxes, removing the grate, and entered the duct, traveling through, until he found another grate, which he kicked out without caring about the consequences. Almost immediately, the computer voice spoke up.

"Alert. Prison escape in progress."

A quiet alarm started, hardly seeming much of an alarm at all. Horace walked unconcernedly through the room, which seemed to be some sort of a storage room, walking all the way to the end and not finding an exit. He looked around again until he saw an exit, way up high. He ran over and took a flying leap at the ledge, managing to grab on and pull himself up. He went through the doorway, finding a series of steps with no floor beneath them. Yong glanced down at the ground far below, making a face.

"Yeesh… Don't wanna fall down there, da ze… Careful when you jump, da ze…"

Horace looked at him with a face that read 'no shit' and he carefully took in the distance from the ground he was standing on to the step. It was an easy jump. He backed up a bit and sprinted towards the edge, easily clearing the gap and landing gracefully on the step. He continued up the other couple of steps, and was about to hop up onto an elevator platform when the computer's voice sounded again.

"You are in a restricted sector. This sector is on high alert."

Horace jumped up onto the elevator platform anyway, not too concerned. Yong, on the other hand, made a face.

"Do you suppose we'll run into any of those red goons, da ze?"

Horace shrugged his shoulders and leaped into the next door from the elevator platform. This room had a line of what seemed to be control panels, all of which had flashing lights on them. The duo ignored these and kept going. Just a short distance from them, standing next to one of the control panels, was, in fact, one of the red-armored guards. He scanned the room until his eyes fell on Horace and Yong, and he lifted his gun, preparing to fire. Horace saw this and, before the guard could shoot, Horace had closed the distance between them and, rather powerfully, connected his hand with the guard's neck in a chop, knocking the man out cold. Horace, hardly breaking stride, continued on, stepping over the guard's still form and running along the stretch of ground. From somewhere not far off, another guard's voice could be heard speaking, likely into some sort of communicator.

"We're beginning our sweep."

This urged Horace to move faster. He took a running leap at an unattached platform that moved back and forth, and, effortlessly landing on it, he charged at another guard, who was lining up a shot at him on the next piece of sturdy, solid floor. He dove at this guard, knocking him out with a solid punch to the face, then continued his charge for freedom. No expense, it seemed, had been spared in keeping the baron's prisoners in, and those wishing to free them out. Some of the floor had been removed along this stretch, again, leaving a sheer drop. The only thing available was a single bar, about halfway across the gap, which, it seemed, would be the reference point for a moving piece of floor. The floor did not seem to be coming, however. Yong sighed.

"What are we gonna do now, da ze?"

Horace had already made up his mind, though. He ran all the way to the edge of the floor and jumped, grabbing the bar. Yong yelped in alarm, clinging tightly to Horace's shirt, as Horace began swinging himself around the bar, like a gymnast. When he had gained enough speed, he waited for just a moment before releasing the bar, allowing himself to fly across the remaining gap, and land perfectly on the floor on the other side. Yong scowled darkly at him.

"That has got to be one of the most terrifying things you have ever put me through, da ze… And I get the feeling that it won't be the last time, either, da ze."

Horace shrugged slightly. He did not want to put his friend in danger… but they had to get out of there, and they had to find the others. Another guard's voice came, then.

"We're moving in."

Horace ignored the guards he could hear approaching, jumping onto another moving platform.

"Surrender yourself. You are under arrest."

The computer voice spoke again, causing Yong to glare up at the ceiling.

"Shut up, da ze!"

Horace looked around for the next exit, but did not see one. The platform kept moving back and forth, as though keeping them occupied until the guards found them. Horace turned around on the platform and sighed. The exit had been behind the wall on the stretch of ground he had just been running on. He jumped behind the wall, knocking out two more guards back there, and managed to, with a bit of effort, clear an exceptionally large hole in the ground.

"We have movement on level one."

A guard behind the wall was reporting to someone. Horace leaped another large gap, just in time to hear several guns being aimed.

"Move in!"

The light around him turned red, the alarm grew louder, and the guards who had been following him finally caught up.

"There he is! Open fire!"

A series of shots were fired at him, the red trail of the bullets showing most of them to just barely miss him. Yong even had to duck down a few times to avoid being hit, Horace ran faster then, realizing that he was running on a grate, and some guards below him were shooting at him as well. Eventually, he managed to make it across the grate, losing the guards behind him as well.

"Prisoner on level two!"

Horace then found himself in a dead end. He looked around and, eventually, his eyes strayed to the ground, where there was a crate. He looked at Yong, who nodded, then jumped onto the box with enough force to break it. He crashed down into the floor below, and immediately got back up, running along in the area he knew to be where the guards from under the grate would be. When he made it to where the grate was, he, luckily, saw only two guards, who he quickly knocked out. Another box stood in his way, so down he leaped onto that, smashing it. He found himself, then, in some sort of slick, lit chute, which he slid down and into another room. The computer, again, assured him that he would be found.

"There is no escape."

When he hit the floor, he hit it with a splash, having fallen into a small pool of, like as not, collected rain water. Horace waded through the decently deep pool, and onto dry land. He scanned the area again and saw, to his delight, that the door out of this dungeon was right there. He jumped up a few stacked boxes, then to the door, which opened automatically for him. He took a deep breath and stepped down into the street, happy to, at last, be out of there. Yong grinned at him.

"We're free, Horace, thanks to me, da ze."

He smirked and chuckled jokingly.

"Nice to breathe some fresh air, huh, da ze? Let's find some place to rest you up before we go and try to find the others, da ze. I've been looking for you all this time, so I don't have a clue where Lili or Roddy might be, da ze. We'll find 'em, though, da ze. I'm sure of it, da ze."

Horace gave a small nod. He was concerned about the other two… but, right now, he was too thrilled to finally be free to worry too much. Finally, after two years of those torturous experiments, he was free.

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**Characters this chapter: **

**Horace Wang, Yong Soo**

**Baron Faraj Tannous: Palestine(OC)/Baron Praxis**

**A note from the author: Whew! That was a long chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. It took a lot of time to write, and the descriptions were difficult to come up with. I had fun writing it, though, so I hope you had fun reading! After this, the chapters should be a bit shorter... I hope. Until next time, remember that reviews make me happy, and have a wonderful day~!**


	3. Chapter 3 - In Control?

**Hello again, everyone. Chapter 3, for your enjoyment!**

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**Chapter 3 – In Control?**

After having spent the night evading guards and sleeping when possible, where possible, Horace and Yong were ready to move again. Neither spoke. They had nothing to speak of, aside from their feelings on the mixed-class buildings around them and the flight of their lives the night before… but they were not too keen on talking about that, especially with so many people around. Horace looked around at the buildings, walking backward very briefly to look at the size and quality difference of where he had come from and where he was heading. When he was facing forward again, an old man he had not seen previously came hobbling up to them, a wooden staff slightly shorter than he was aiding him, and a small boy following him. The man was obviously quite advanced in years – much older than Roderich – his hair white, thick, and long, though the top of his head appeared to be bald – although it was impossible to tell with the almost skin-colored skullcap that he wore

"Hello strangers."

Horace tried to ignore him, but he took the young man's arm, stepping in front of him.

"My name is Kor. May I help…"

Horace's face went from his previously emotionless expression to a glare much more fitting on his darker form than this one. He cut Kor off, deciding it was time to figure a few things out.

"You look like a reasonably smart man. I want information! Where the hell am I?"

He seized the old man's hooded, sky blue robe by the collar, somehow managing to get to it through the man's beard, then released him with a small shove, gesturing frustratedly at the city around them. Yong leapt off of Horace's shoulder, going over to the small boy. The boy appeared no older than four, and there was something familiar about him… though what that something was, Yong could not put a finger on. Instead of worrying about it, he went about apologizing for his friend's strange behavior.

"Aaah... sorry, da ze! He's new to the whole... conversation thing, da ze."

The boy looked at Yong and his brown eyes lit up with curiosity. He bent down slightly, reaching out to pet the weasel, an innocent smile on his face. Yong gave the child a strange look, raising an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes, and crossing his arms. This new expression made the kid retract his hand, now looking very timid and shy. He retreated behind Kor, looking nervously out at the two strangers. Kor, having righted himself, was brushing the new wrinkles out of his robe, not seeming too offended by Horace's actions.

"Well, my _angry_ young friend. You are a 'guest' of his 'majesty' Baron Tannous, the ruler of 'glorious' Haven City."

Kor gestured all around, his words dripping with bitter sarcasm. Horace growled in reply, his own voice taking on a tiny bit of sarcasm.

"I was just a 'guest' in the good Baron's prison."

Kor shook his head slightly, stepping back toward Horace.

"Inside a cell or inside the city... walls surround us both. We are all his prisoners."

The old man frowned somewhat, turning, and covered his mouth with a hand, taking a step to the side to hide the small boy.

"Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Horace glanced around Kor and frowned deeply. Just coming around a corner was a group of the red-armored soldiers, walking with purpose right in their direction. Kor gently pushed the child's shoulder, moving him around behind Horace and starting after him nervously.

"I-I'd move on if I were you…"

The guards did not seem to recognize Horace or Yong – much to their relief – as they paused in front of their small gathering. The guard in the lead spoke up, announcing to all of the people in the area.

"By order of his eminence, the Grand Protector of Haven City, Baron Tannous, everyone in this section is hereby under arrest for suspicion of harboring Underground fugitives. Surrender and die!"

Yong blinked and approached the guard, far less nervous than he really should have been, and put a hand up.

"Aaah, excuse me, sir, da ze. Don't you mean surrender, OR DIE, da ze!?"

The guard looked down at Yong, and, despite his face being completely covered by the robotic-looking metal visor, it was fairly obvious that he at least had an eyebrow raised in lack of mirth. Kor backed up a few steps, standing behind Horace fearfully.

"Not in this city! Protect us from these Krimzon Guards, and I'll introduce you to someone who could help you!"

Horace glanced back at the old man just long enough to give a small nod. He immediately turned back to the small group of guards, determination added to his deadpan. He took a single step forward, standing tall before the red-armored men. The lead guard glared at him, but he did not back down. In fact, he glared right back. The guard seemed disconcerted by this behavior and lifted his gun.

"Surrender, citizen, or things will have to get ugly."

Horace clenched his fist, lifting it to his hip, and replied fearlessly to the guard's threat.

"I guess things will have to get ugly, then."

He went to knock the guard out with a chop to the neck, but he stopped suddenly, his form shaking a bit and his hands shooting to his head as he doubled over in pain. His appearance shifted, then, to the creature he had been when he almost tore Yong apart. The guards backed up a bit, taken aback by his sudden change, and immediately aimed their guns to fire. The guard on the leader's left lifted his arm, speaking into a communicator.

"We need back up!"

Horace stood back upright when the transformation was complete, his black eyes flicking to the guard that was calling for help. His body soon followed his eyes as he leapt onto the guard, his claws flashing across the armored man's chest three times, then he switched targets. The guard whose chest had been slashed crumpled to the ground, his life leaving him before he could say another word. The other two guards soon followed him. Horace was about to turn back to the three he had been conversing with when more guards came rushing into the area. Horace's attention was instantly turned to the new threat and he went about his morbid task of averting that threat. Needless to say, that threat did not last long and, before much time had passed, the guards who had escaped death fled, and no other guards came. Horace, again, was about to turn to Kor, the kid, and Yong, but, this time, he caught himself, forcing his darker side back. His appearance shifted again, returning him to normal, though certainly with some exertion on his part. Yong was unfazed by this.

"That was cool, da ze! Do it again, da ze."

Horace clenched and unclenched his fists, struggling mightily to keep the darkness back, which caused Yong to back up several steps nervously.

"Something's... happening to me... Something he did... I can't... control it."

Kor, while seeming concerned for the young man, was surprised by his prowess. It was clear that he was not overly apprehensive that Horace would lose control.

"Very impressive…"

Yong, not really sure what else to do, looked up at his friend, who, while still panting and scowling, seemed more in control now.

"Ehh, you okay Horace, da ze?"

Horace finally managed to calm down, giving Yong a small nod and crossing his arms, the scowl fading. Kor gave a tiny bow of thanks.

"What you just did was very brave. This child is important."

He gestured at the small boy, who smiled. Yong raised an eyebrow, walking over to the child, pointing at him, as though to make sure he had not seen wrong.

"This kid, da ze? He looks kinda... scruffy, da ze."

The small boy covered his face timidly when Yong pointed at him, as though to prove a point. Before anyone could respond, one of the guards, this one in some sort of large, flying car, pulled the vehicle to a stop before the group. Despite the bodies of slain guards all around and the previous call for help, this guard seemed neither concerned, nor even aware of the prior situation.

"You are in a restricted zone. Move along."

While they did not complain, Horace and Yong found this action somewhat sickening. There were about a dozen red-armored bodies strewn about, yet that guard seemed to have not taken any notice of them… They were taken from their thoughts, then, by Kor, who, again, gestured to the boy.

"Thank you for your help, but I must get this boy to safety."

He turned to start leading the boy off, but Yong stopped him, his furry black arms crossed.

"Hey, da ze! What about us, da ze?"

Kor turned to look at them again, gesturing in the direction that the guards had been coming from.

"There is an underground group waging war against Baron Tannous. Its leader, the Shadow, could use fighters like you! Go to the slums. Find a dead-end alley near the city wall. Ask for Vash. He can help you."

He handed Horace a map, then he and the child walked quickly away. Horace and Yong looked at each other for just a moment before Yong leapt up onto Horace's shoulder.

"Well, what're we waiting for, da ze? Let's find this Vash guy, da ze!"

Horace gave a small nod before walking in the direction Kor had pointed, glancing at the map, then putting it away. As he wandered through the city, his eyes constantly moving, in search of the slums, his mind wandered. Where were Lili and Roderich? Were they safe? Hell, were they even still alive? Now that his joy of being free had been thoroughly melted away by the night spent in the nooks, crannies, and holes in the city, dodging all through the city to avoid being recaptured, followed by his second encounter with his no longer purely inner darkness, he was finally thinking about all of the consequences of his having been captured and held for two years. As far as he knew, Lili and Roderich could have been captured as well, or, heaven forbid, killed, and he would not know – possibly ever. Yong finally pulled him out of these dark thoughts with a hand on his head and a smile.

"Hey, don't lose hope yet, Horace, da ze. Maybe these Underground guys will be able to help us find old Roddy and Lili, da ze."

Horace gave a single nod, not replying, but definitely feeling a bit more hopeful.

'I'll find you. I swear I will. And nothing is going to stand in my way.'

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**Characters this chapter:**

**Horace, Yong**

**Kor: Kor (From the actual game. No country, no tricks, just the character from the game.)**

**Kid: ?**

**Note: Any guesses for next chapter? I am having a great time writing this, so I hope those reading are enjoying it. I still like getting feedback, so a review or two would be lovely. Until next time, have a beautiful, spectacular day~!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Vash's Test

**I am so sorry for missing my update day! OTL I think, from now on, however, I shall be updating every other week so I can have a bit of extra writing time. With SakuraCon right around the corner, I have had almost no time to write... With any luck, it shall be a bit easier to complete chapters after Con. So, Chapter 4 for your enjoyment!**

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**Chapter 4 – Vash's Test**

It took quite some time to get to the slums but, when Horace and Yong did reach them, they knew it immediately. The buildings went from at least serviceable to rather rundown, dirty, and almost unlivable. It was unlike anything Horace had ever seen. He walked as quickly as he could to the dead end, the area growing darker as less sky was visible overhead. Suddenly, from the shadows, a young woman stepped out. She was about the same age as Horace and Yong, with long, black hair held back with a pink flower clip – though, one long clump of hair on the right side of her head refused to cooperate, and came down in front of her face in a curl of sorts – wearing a pink, cropped qipao about the same color as the flower, white and pink shorts, and pink flats; and there was a little pink flower tattoo on her left thigh. Despite all the pink, flowers, and general pretty femininity of her outfit, the scowl she wore told Horace and Yong she could take care of herself, and was not going to take any crap from anyone. Horace, not really sure what else to do, decided to ask her for directions.

"We're looking for a guy named Vash. Kor sent us... um..."

The woman flipped her hair, gesturing to her left with her head. An intimidating man with shoulder-length blonde hair, wearing a white beret-like hat, a green jacket, brown pants, darker brown, shin-high boots, black gloves, and a distrustful scowl stepped out next to the woman. He was a bit taller than the girl, and his dangerous green eyes told the other two men that, if it came down to it, he would be a difficult person to take down. He got right up in Horace's face, the scowl not decreasing in the slightest, and looked him over. The lack of recognition in his eyes only intensified his scowl. Horace leaned back slightly, not liking having this strange man in his face. He made a face of mild discomfort.

"Are you… Vash?"

The other man just glared dangerously. The woman, who still stood where she had stepped to before, gave a small nod, confirming Horace's guess. Yong peeked around so he could see Horace's face, speaking a bit quieter than usual, but not by much.

"Maybe this guy's a mute, like you used to be, da ze…"

He glanced at the older man, who had turned his glare on Yong, gave a little, obnoxious grin, and retreated behind Horace's back again, gripping the crossed belts. Horace rolled his eyes at Yong, looking back at Vash. He was about to speak when Vash withdrew his face from Horace's personal space, spitting his words with venom that did not quite match what he was saying.

"New faces make me nervous."

He prodded Horace's chest less than gently, his glare not decreasing in the slightest. Horace did not seem intimidated, which almost seemed to impress Vash. He did not show it, though. Instead, he continued speaking, beginning to circle Horace.

"Word is you're out to join the fight for the city. You know, picking the wrong side could be... unhealthy."

At the word 'unhealthy', he bent down enough to look at Horace at eye level, getting up in Horace's face again and giving a dangerous smirk. Horace was unfazed. His emotionless mask did not waver in the slightest as he replied to Vash.

"We want to see the Shadow."

Vash made a face of amusement, again withdrawing his face from Horace's personal space and laughing.

"Not likely."

His face regained its distrustful expression and he turned, walking slightly away, revealing a large knife strapped to his back.

"If you want to join something, why don't you and your pet go join the circus?"

Yong frowned in indignation. He was about to tell Vash exactly what he thought of the older man's rude words, but, before he could say anything, Vash turned again, pulling his knife out of its sheath.

"Unless you've got the fur for a really tough task."

He ran his finger along the knife, a little bit of blood dripping down the blade, showing just how sharp it was. Yong's mouth closed and his eyes widened, watching Vash with a bit more respect showing in his brown eyes. Vash took a step toward Horace again, glancing and gesturing towards another district, a fair distance off.

"Steal the Baron's banner from the top of the Ruined Tower and bring it back to me. Then maybe we'll talk."

He smirked again, flipping the dagger in the air, allowing it to spin a few times before catching it once again by the hilt. Horace, eyes narrow, nodded his head.

"We'll get your banner."

Without waiting for Vash to reply, Horace, with Yong on his shoulder once again, walked out of the alley, leaving Vash and the woman standing alone once more, interested expressions on both of their faces. The woman looked at Vash with curiosity.

"You didn't tell him about the creatures out there, Vash…"

Vash shrugged, not showing caring of any sort.

"If he's as tough as he and Kor seem to think he is, those things won't give him too much trouble. And if he's not tough enough…"

He shrugged, sheathing his dagger again.

"Too bad for him."

The woman gave a small frown, but she nodded.

"If you say so…"

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong**

**Vash Zwingli: Switzerland/Torn**

**Woman: ?**

**Note: And so my favorite character shows up. *Shifty eyes* Anyway, as I have said before, I love reviews. A review would make me a happy person. Thank you for sticking with me and have a lovely day. Until next time~!**


	5. Chapter 5 - I Guess You Guys are in

**Pleeeeeeeaaaaaasssse forgive me for the long pause! Gomen nasai! I truly hope this chapter makes up for a little bit of the long wait... Enjoy.**

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**Chapter 5 – I Guess You Guys are in.**

Horace looked from the map Kor had given him to the door in front of him. They were just outside the slums now, literally in a hole in the ground. Yong made a face.

"You sure this is the place, da ze?"

Horace gave a small nod, shrugging and forcing the door open. What the two saw on the other side made them each raise an eyebrow. It was a swamp inside the city, covered with the ruins of what seemed to have once been another sector of the city… and it was crawling with strange, frog-like creatures, bigger than Yong was. Horace frowned, taking a step from the door, mud squelching under his feet. Yong made a face of disgust.

"What a place, da ze…"

Horace sighed softly and, after closing the door behind them, kept walking, passing by one of the green frog creatures. The frog turned, seeming to look the two up and down, then lunged at Horace, trying to bite his foot off. Horace leaped away from the creature, kicking it across the island he was on and sending it flying into the greenish-brown muck. It sank into the mud, but it did not come back up. This startled both Horace and Yong a bit. Yong gave a small cough.

"Well… don't fall in that stuff if you want to live, da ze…"

Horace made a face and nodded.

"No kidding. Seems like Vash didn't tell us a couple of things when he sent us here."

Yong sighed.

"Great, da ze. What ELSE do you suppose he failed to mention, da ze?"

Horace shook his head slightly, walking toward the edge of the island they were on and leaping gracefully over the mud, avoiding the frog creatures to the best of his abilities. He cast about for a way across the next, much larger gap between islands and soon found his answer in the form of a pair of floating platforms made of old boards. He jumped onto the first and, finding that it started to slowly sink into the mud, leaped quickly to the next, then to shore. Waiting for him was a lizard-like animal, larger than the frogs and colored bright orange, which lunged at him as soon as he was on the island. Horace threw a quick punch at the lizard, sending it into the mud, from which it did not reemerge. Horace, knowing the lizard was down for the count, looked around for his next means of continuation. He noted a bridge-like fallen column, which he climbed onto and walked carefully across, sighing in relief when it did not collapse under him. Dodging around a few more of the lizards and frogs, he jumped up to and grabbed a ledge on the wall where a building once stood, pulling himself up and running along it. He continued walking carefully, passing over the mud on somewhat sturdy pieces of the ruins. Horace looked around at the remains of the city sector, scanning for hostile creatures, checking that his footing was secure, and taking in the area around him. He passed by a pair of windows set in a still-standing wall, but all that could be seen through them was more ruin. It did not seem like it would have been much of a view when this was still part of the city, either… Horace went around the piece of wall, following the narrow stretches of stone that connected the ruined buildings, jogging to the sturdier part of another building and pulling himself up onto the floor above. He frowned slightly as he looked at the bridge to the next place he needed to get. It did not seem at all safe. Yong saw this too, but, before he could say anything, Horace was running across the brittle stone bridge. Yong clung to Horace's arm tightly, his eyes wide.

"Horace, you're crazy, da ze!"

The bridge fell behind him, but Horace was faster than that. He managed to get across without falling. To the sound of Yong's complaints, Horace walked a bit more calmly on the much sturdier floor and over to what seemed to be what remained of a flight of stairs. The first through fourth steps were missing, leaving a bit of a jump to be made, which Horace did not have much of a problem with. The same was true of the next few steps until it appeared as though a new floor should have been present. All there was, however, was a narrow stretch of stone, a gap a few feet along, then another narrow stretch of stone. Yong looked at Horace's face and was not surprised at what he saw: They were going over that gap. He sighed and gripped his friend a bit tighter. Horace set off at a steady run, easily leaping the gap, then had to continue moving as where he landed began falling out from under them. Another gap stood between them and their next safe place – another ruined flight of steps. Horace did not slow for even a moment as he ran, clearing the next space and continuing up the steps. He knew it was only a matter of time before these, too, fell away, so he continued at his quick pace. At the top of these steps, there was another, much larger gap that Horace knew he would be unable to jump. He cast about and saw a pipe sticking out of the wall just a bit above where he stood. He glanced at Yong, who sighed, gripping his handholds even tighter. Horace gave a small nod and jumped for the pipe, which he caught onto. As he had done in the Baron's dungeon while escaping, he spun around the pipe a few times, landing on the next stretch of floor as gracefully as a gymnast. He was quite relieved to find that this piece was much stronger, and he slowed down a bit again. He jogged lightly along; keeping his eyes opened so as not to miss his next turn. This came in the form of some steps down. He sighed, noting that these steps were, once again, quite brittle and ready to break the moment someone stepped on them. He took a deep breath and leaped down onto the first, quickly jumping to the second, then to a pole sticking out of the wall. He released the pole as soon as he was sure he could run again and landed on the next step. Hardly giving it any thought, he jumped around the corner and up onto another stair. Keeping up his fast pace, he went up to the next. This one gave out even quicker than he had expected and he had hardly any time to jump. He managed to catch hold of the much more solid piece of ground and pulled himself up; collapsing onto his back once he was safe again, panting hard. Yong's eyes were wide and he had to force his fist to unclench as he stepped off of Horace's shoulder.

"I amend my statement from yesterday, da ze. THAT was the scariest thing you have ever put me through, da ze. But we made it, da ze…"

Horace panted softly for a moment before he replied.

"I hope we don't have to do anything like that again anytime soon…"

Yong gave a mirthless chuckle.

"You and me both, da ze."

Horace groaned softly as he sat back up, getting to his feet again.

"Just a little further. I think the banner is just up these stairs…"

Yong nodded, climbing back onto Horace's shoulder.

"Alright, da ze. We'll show that Vash guy, da ze!"

Horace gave a small reply nod before tiredly walking up the stairs behind them. Just as he had said, the banner, an old, tattered red flag with a strange symbol on it, was flying on a pole, which was stuck firmly into the old stone balcony-like area. Horace gave a tiny smirk and went to it, pulling it out of the ground with some mild difficulty. Yong grinned widely, hopping off of his friend's shoulder again to dance about.

"Oh yeah, da ze. Suck on that, Vash, da ze!"

Just as he said this, the two young men heard a sound they had been hearing since they had arrived in this part of the city – the sound they had come to dread the most: The sound of crumbling stone. The stone peninsula began breaking away from the rest of the ancient building, dropping Horace and Yong and letting them freefall toward the mud below. Horace, not wanting to fall into the muck, directed his fall toward the wall of the tower, spotting a purple awning near the bottom. He landed on the awning, using it to spring up and away from the mud. Yong did as well, but not nearly as gracefully. Horace used this bounce to get up to a long, thick wire of some sort. He somehow managed, not only to land on this wire, but also managed to grind along it. Yong also landed on the wire, but did not manage to stay on it, instead being thrown back up into the air. Horace ground along on this wire to one of the islands near where they had come in, where he leapt off and landed safely, the banner still in his hands. Yong landed face first in the dirt next to his friend. Horace made a somewhat amused face at his friend, then looked up to see Vash standing there, his eyebrow upraised. The sound of a large amount of crumbling stone made everyone look up and over to the tower where Horace and Yong had just been. As the three men watched, the whole building collapsed, falling into the swampy greenish muck. Vash's eyes widened in amazement. He had not expected the pair to even make it through the place, but, not only had they retrieved the banner as he had requested, they also collapsed the building it had been on, escaping in one piece. There really was only one thing he could say to these two:

"Ja, I guess you guys are in."

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong, Vash**

**Note: Wow, chapter five already... There is still a lot to come, though, so stick around! This is still just the beginning! I hope you can find the patience to continue with me for the remainder of this journey. Until next time, have a beautiful day. Sayonara for now!**


	6. Chapter 6 -A Mission for the Underground

**Hello again, my dear readers! A bit of character development for your enjoyment!**

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**Chapter 6 – A Mission for the Underground**

Horace smirked at Vash's response to their destruction of the tower. He approached the older man, handing him the banner.

"Great. Now do we get to see the Shadow?"

Vash made a face at him.

"Have I said you can yet? Nein. I'm going back to HQ to mount this on a wall. Come see me when you're ready to do something useful."

Without waiting for a reply, Vash turned around and walked back to the city. Horace and Yong watched him go. Yong frowned.

"Some welcome, da ze."

Horace shrugged slightly and walked after the blond man. Yong ran after him and scurried up onto his shoulder again.

"So, what now, da ze? We gotta see this Shadow guy, da ze…"

Horace shrugged again.

"I guess we help the Underground until Vash trusts us enough. We've got no one else to help us… And besides, anything we do to help them hurts Tannous. That's good enough for me for the time being."

Yong gave a small reply shrug.

"Whatever you say, da ze."

They returned to the door to the city, pushing it closed behind them, and walked quietly down the streets, back to the slums where they had first met Vash. When they got to the dead end, it took only a moment to spot the door to the only safe-looking building available. Horace pulled it open, stepping inside and onto descending stairs. He closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs and into what seemed to be a storage facility turned Underground headquarters. Vash was, indeed, down there, standing behind a table littered with papers and candles, his usual scowl on his face. The banner Horace and Yong had retrieved was pinned up on one of the walls, just as Vash had said. Yong climbed down from Horace's shoulder, walking toward Vash alongside Horace with a big grin on his face. Horace paused in front of the blond man, his arms crossed over his chest, while Yong turned, walking over to a water spigot on the wall and wiping the imaginary sweat from his forehead.

"Whew... being a big hero sure makes ya thirsty, da ze!"

He jumped up; pulling the lever on the spigot that would make the water flow out. Vash glared darkly at the weasel boy, watching quietly. A faint rumbling sound came from the spout and, rather than water, a dark brown muck came gushing out, splattering Yong's face. Yong gagged and coughed, returning the lever to the off position, and spat out as much of the gunk as he could, wiping his mouth and glaring at Vash, growling softly. Vash, his arms still crossed over his chest, rolled his eyes at Yong.

"The Baron turned off all water to the slums. He's willing to sacrifice innocent lives just to destroy the Underground. I shouldn't be surprised. I've seen his evil before, while serving in the Krimzon Guard. That's why I quit."

His face showed the purest of disgust at Baron Tannous's actions as he glanced at Horace. Horace looked genuinely shocked by Vash's statement, his eyebrows lowering and his eyes growing slightly wider, even his voice affected by the surprise.

"You were a Krimzon Guard?"

He quickly recovered, covering his mouth with two fingers to suppress the tiniest of laughs.

"Huh. Oh, that explains your... charming sense of humor."

Vash seemed neither amused, nor offended as he replied.

"My friend in the Guard tells me the valve to turn the water back on is located outside the city, at the Pumping Station."

Horace frowned slightly.

"Outside the city? What about the security walls?"

Yong, still over by the faucet, made a face at both men, his shout making them look at him.

"What about the Metal Heads, da ze?! It ain't no petting zoo out there, da ze... Peeps be getting deep-sixed, da ze!"

Vash ignored Yong's comment.

"Find the large drain pipe in the north wall. It'll take you outside the city to the Pumping Station. Get to the main valve and open it. If you survive, the slums will be indebted to you. If not, maybe we'll have a touching moment of silence in your honor."

Yong made a face of mild offense, growling under his breath.

"I'd like to give him a 'touching moment', da ze."

Horace rolled his eyes, gesturing for Yong to hop on his shoulder again, which he did. Horace nodded slightly at Vash.

"You got it. We'll be back before you know it."

Once again, without waiting for Vash to reply, Horace turned around and sprinted up the stairs, walking back out onto the streets. He pulled out the map Kor had given him, looking it over until he found the drain pipe in the north wall, on the other side of the city. He replaced the map in the bag on his hip and started sprinting out of the cul-de-sac. He passed a parked hover bike, like so many of the citizens rode above him, then paused, looking back at the bike. He looked at Yong, who nodded. They had the same idea. Horace went over to the parked vehicle, sliding into the seat, and looked it over. The keys were in the ignition, as though it had been placed there for his convenience. Without a moment of hesitation, Horace turned the key and kicked the bike into drive, pulling it up to its full altitude hover. He smirked. He liked this thing. It did not take him long at all to learn how to drive the bike and, just moments later, he and Yong were well on their way to the pipe outside the city, flying silently.

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong, Vash. Again.**

**Note: I hope you enjoyed the character development for dear Vash. This chapter was short and filler, but it is leading into more excitement, so, for the sake of the wonderful Horace Wang and Yong Soo, continue reading! I still would absolutely love to read anything you have to say to me, so review... Until next time, have a wonderful, beautiful day. Shalom for now!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Beyond the City Walls

**Hello again, everyone! We have some action for you today! Hope you enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7 – Beyond the City Walls**

Yong tapped his foot on one of Horace's crossed belts, watching the city fly by under them as Horace maneuvered the bike quickly around the slow-moving traffic. He had become very agile with the bike in the few minutes he had been driving. Horace was deep in thought as he drove, his eyes scanning, but not seeing the area below. The main city soon gave way to another set of slums, these buildings pieced together using whatever scraps that could be found, and they were all placed precariously along a rickety, ill-made walkway made of leftover wood and large rusted nails, built over dirty brownish-green water. Horace did not really take any of this in. His mind was wandering, jumping between Lili and Roderich, Vash and the Underground, the mysterious Shadow, Baron Tannous, and the Metal Heads. He rubbed the back of his head, keeping the bike's path steady with his knee and other hand, trying to figure out how he was going to solve all of these problems all at once. As much as he wanted to find Lili and Roderich and just go home, he now felt obligated to take out Tannous and, as much as he did not trust Vash, he seemed like a decent man who wanted to free his home from a tyrant. He would have continued like this for longer had Yong not tapped his shoulder so urgently and vigorously.

"Horace, we're gonna crash if you don't stop, da ze!"

Horace snapped out of his own thoughts to see the wall growing ever closer. He dropped the bike to its lowest hover setting and pulled it up alongside the ramshackle walkway. They were just a few yards away from the wall itself, and, that same distance along the wooden path, the drain pipe that Vash had spoken of loomed before them. Horace shook his head to clear it.

"Sorry. Just lost in thought."

Horace put the bike into park and took the keys from the ignition, pocketing them and dismounting the bike. He walked calmly toward the pipe and away from the people wandering aimlessly about, taking in the details of the door blocking his way to the outside. It almost seemed like it was meant to be a public passageway, except for the fact that everyone appeared to avoid this section of the path at all costs. Considering this fact, the door itself was surprisingly easy to open. Horace pulled on one side of the metal entrance and it slid open without any trouble. With a small shrug, he walked through, closing the door behind him. He found himself inside the wall, in a miniature room with a door in front of him as well. He shrugged again and slid the entrance before him open. As this one revealed the beach just beyond the walls, the computer voice from the palace spoke.

"Exiting city."

Horace and Yong looked around in confusion. No wonder normal people were afraid of trying to escape the city… Horace shook off the uneasy feeling of being watched as he stepped onto the sand of the beach, sliding the door closed behind him again. He took a deep breath, happy to feel fresh air again, instead of the dirty city air. He began looking around; taking instant notice of the large, mechanical structures that, in theory, made up the pumping station, set against a sheer cliff face. Almost immediately after, he noticed something running towards him. It was vaguely humanoid, with reddish purple skin, and it ran like a gorilla. Its wrists, elbows, knees, and head were covered with some kind of metal plate – in theory guarding it against damage – and, in the head plate, whether set into the plate or part of the creature's head, there was some sort of large, glowing yellow gem. Behind it, not seeming to have noticed the two boys yet, were two more. Yong jumped in alarm at the beasts.

"Horace, those are Metal Heads, da ze!"

Horace nodded slightly, taking a martial arts stance. As soon as the Metal Head was within reach, he lashed out, driving his palm into its face and kicking it in the stomach, sending it into the shallows. It got back up, charging him again, but he kicked it in the side of the head and, with a sickening crack, its neck broke and it fell over again. Horace grimaced at the sound, but did not dwell long on the dead creature. When he looked back up, its two friends were charging him as well. He took his stance again, readying himself for the attack. As soon as the creatures were within range, he lashed out, killing one of them instantly with a well-placed palm strike. The other he sent flying backward into one of the pumping station structures, watching as it bounced off the metal siding with a deep thump that echoed through the construct. It got dizzily back up, starting toward him again. It did not take much more to put it on the ground again, as dead as its former companions. Horace frowned in confusion as he noted that the yellow gems from the creatures' heads had popped out of place. He looked at Yong, seeming to question if he should actually act on what he was thinking. Yong gave a shrug. He saw no reason not to. Horace bent down, retrieving the gems and looking at them. He felt like they would be worth something to someone, and any form of currency he could find was worth taking, no matter what it was. He had no money, after all, and he did not know what these people used as such. He stashed the items in his bag and looked up at the metal structure again. The only way to go was up… Right in front of him was a pair of some sort of giant pistons that, to his delight, went up just high enough on the structure that, if he were to ride one up, he could jump up onto the top. He shrugged and waited for one to come down, then leapt onto it, waiting patiently as it went up, then climbed onto the platform. Waiting for him up there, to his annoyance, was a pair of the frog creatures from the swamp. He rolled his eyes. He was getting really tired of these things. He hardly thought about it as he sent them flying over a giant pipe on the left side of the platform, nodding in satisfaction at the soft crunch they made as they landed on the other side. He turned away from the pipe and, seeing a small protrusion of sandy, somewhat rocky land sticking out of the cliff face, he took a running leap, easily landing on it. He did not stop after landing, merely continuing along the short stretch until he reached the end. Seeing another pipe at the same level as the outcropping he was running along, leading to a higher island along the cliff, he jumped onto it and continued along it, jumping up and grabbing onto the edge of the island, pulling himself up without difficulty. On that island, he found another frog thing and two of the orange lizards. He growled in irritation. These things were hardly worth his time… He kicked them all over the edge of the island, hearing a splash as they hit the water. He was about to move on when he heard a voice from below. It sounded like the computer voice again.

"Target locked."

Horace frowned and glanced over the edge of the island. All he saw was the frog he had punted over the edge. He glanced at Yong and the two shared a shrug. Then came the sound of a laser blast and the small croak of the frog's life being extinguished. When Horace and Yong looked back over, they saw some sort of robot re-submerging itself beneath the waves, but saw no proof that the frog had ever been there.

"Target eliminated."

Yong's mouth fell open, his brown eyes wide. He quickly closed his mouth and tried to chuckle away the disturbing conclusion to the encounter.

"Well… there goes the sea route option, da ze…"

Horace backed away from the ledge.

"I think I miss the giant fish back home."

Yong gave a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, no kidding, da ze…"

Horace cleared his throat, now proceeding with a bit more caution. Walking just a few feet, he found his next means to move on. It was a pipe connecting the island he was on to a metal platform several yards away. However, just before he was about to step down onto it, it rotated ninety degrees with a clank. Horace stopped at the edge of the island. That was going to make things a bit more difficult… He watched the pipe, trying to determine the pattern. He did not have to watch for long. Four seconds later, it rotated again. Horace frowned, took a breath, and prepared to run. Yong gripped his friend's belts again.

"You sure you can make it, da ze?"

Horace inhaled deeply, then exhaled, nodding. He waited patiently for the next rotation, then flew forward, sprinting across the pipe. He grabbed onto the ledge of the platform just as the pipe below him began its next turn, pulling himself up before he could be thrown into the water below. He smirked a bit, then noted who he now shared the island with. Another Metal Head. He sighed, grabbing it by the gem on its head, and kicked it mightily in the torso. The gem came loose and, with a grimace, he found that it was, in fact, set into its head. Fortunately, he did not have to see this for long, as the creature went flying backwards into the water where, if it were not already dead, the robot under the crashing waves finished it off. Horace pocketed the gem, then wiped his hands on his pants. The creature had both felt and smelled like it had never bathed in its life. Turning to see what his next challenge would be, he shook his head, wondering who had built this place and what they had expected would invade. Another pipe connected the platform Horace and Yong were on to yet another, only this one did not turn every few seconds. This one had an electrically charged strip that moved slowly back and forth across it. Horace gave a low sound of displeasured exasperation and started running along the pipe, leaping over the electrically charged piece, and continued onto the new platform. He did not even bother pausing to size up his next group of enemies, nor did he give them time to react to him. He sent four frogs flying off into the unknown and promptly snapped the neck of a prowling Metal Head, then climbed onto another set of pistons, which brought him up to a rocky outcropping, similar to the one he had jumped to when he had first got there. He jumped the gap, defeating the group of enemies waiting for him without missing a beat, and continued onto the next pipe. Several groups of enemies, a few pipes, a ramp or two, some stretches of beach, and a few ledges later saw Horace pocketing two more of the Metal Heads' gems as he went up the final ledge to, at last, the water pipe for the slums. He strode confidently up to it, Yong jumping down onto the sand below and going over to the valve, drumming his fingers together in delight.

"Ah, the valve, da ze."

He smirked and walked to the rust-colored metal wheel, gripping it.

"Allow me, da ze."

He pulled up, getting only a squeak. He frowned slightly, repositioning himself in front of the valve, he grasped the outside of the circular object with one hand and one of the strips of metal that connected the outside wheel to the center with the other, heaving mightily with a squeak of strain of his own. Again, all he got was the protest of rusted metal. He stood and panted for a while, then went back to his original position, grabbing it with both his hands and wrapping his legs around it, pushing up with his tail. Still, it did not budge. Horace sighed, rolling his eyes, and smacked the pipe with a fist, getting a hollow thunk. As if this were some sort of cue, the circular valve began spinning. Yong, still holding on with all fours, spun around with it. A pipe above him, whose hatch had opened when Horace had hit the pipe, began sucking in air, which pulled the unfortunate weasel right in. The hatch closed behind him. Horace raised an eyebrow at this unexpected turn of events. Listening closely, he could hear Yong's yells as he was sucked chaotically through the pipe system, and he followed those yells, amused but worried for his friend. Through several bends the weasel clanged through until, at the end of the pipes, he came to a nozzle. His small voice could be heard from there.

"Horace, da ze? Help, da ze…"

Horace turned a valve above the nozzle, watching as first Yong's small head, followed by his shoulders, torso, and finally hips were forcefully pushed through the wide nozzle's opening. After a moment, Yong was shot, as out of a gun, a few feet, where he skidded a couple more in the sand. Horace closed the valve again and, his face containing some amusement, walked over to and squatted down in front of Yong, opening his mouth to speak. Yong put his hand up, stopping Horace before he could speak.

"Don't say it, da ze. Don't even chuckle, da ze. Next time, YOU turn the valve, da ze."

With that, he fell back down onto his back in the sand. Horace suppressed his laughter, picking up Yong without a word and setting him on his shoulder, shaking his head in mirth. With his weasel friend back in his place, he started the trek back to the city door.

* * *

**Characters:**

**Only Horace and Yong this time around.**

**Note: And so you have seen some of the scary Metal Heads. Not to worry, they get bigger, tougher, and scarier. They are not the most underwhelming boogiemen ever to have prowled the land. I hope that lived up to everyone's expectations and did not bore you with all the running, jumping, and climbing. Thank you all for your continued reading and I hope you can bear to keep following me. I would love to hear your thoughts, so review! Until next time, have a great day. Auf Weidersehen.**


	8. Chapter 8 - Controlling the Darkness

**I am so sorry for missing my update, but last week was graduation and I was attending for a very important person in my life! I pray your forgiveness, everyone! OTL With any luck, I will be able to post the next chapter next week, as my schedule is supposed to go, so everything will get back to normal. So anyway, without further ado, Chapter 8. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 8 – Controlling the Darkness**

As soon as Horace reached the door to the city, he heaved it open and stepped inside the wall, closing the door behind him again. As nice as it had been to be back outside of the bustling city, there were just too many enemies prowling about out there. As he opened the second door, the computer voice greeted him.

"It's good to see you still alive."

Horace and Yong, who had, at some point along the way, come to again and was now standing on Horace's shoulder as he usually did, ignored the voice, walking confidently back into the city and closing the door behind them again. Turning to the side of the walkway, he went to the hover bike that was still sitting right where he left it and leaped down onto it, putting the keys in the ignition and starting it. Kicking it into its highest hover mode, he started heading back towards the Underground Headquarters, then suddenly turned, frowning. He felt as if… something was pulling him to a small shack in a corner of the area. Yong looked down at his friend questioningly.

"What is it, Horace, da ze?"

Horace shook his head, landing his bike next to the shack and taking the keys out again.

"I don't really know…"

He peered around the corner and into the door-less entryway. Inside was something he had seen before, but not as big, or nearly as enshrined. There were lit candles all around the large stone statue, which was lit with its own inner blue light. It was a Precursor statue, Horace and Yong knew. They had seen several back home, and they usually offered advice, as well as occasional helpful items, but always for a price. As Horace approached it, it spoke in a deep, echoing voice.

"Greetings, great warrior. I sense there is a dark rage burning within you, and, in time, it will destroy you with its madness. Only the last power of the Precursors can save you. Destroy my enemies, those creatures that you call the Metal Heads. Bring me twenty-five of their skull gems and I will teach you how to control these powers."

Horace blinked, a strange, magical feeling rushing through him as the statue spoke. His darker side, which had been bubbling just at the surface ever since it had first taken him, seemed to calm and sit where it belonged. He took a breath, enjoying the feeling of relief that came with it. Yong looked at Horace questioningly.

"You look happy, da ze."

Horace glanced sidelong at the weasel boy.

"It suppressed the darkness. It almost feels like I can control it now, if only slightly."

Yong beamed excitedly.

"Awesome, da ze! That could prove useful, da ze!"

Horace gave a small reply nod. He was already thinking the same thing. The duo walked back out and hopped on the hover bike, Horace putting the keys into the ignition and kicking it into the proper height, then started towards the Underground Headquarters. This dark side was powerful, and he knew it. If he actually could control it, then it might just prove easier to achieve both the Underground's goals, as well as his own. Baron Tannous would be in for a real surprise once Horace got to him.

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong**

**The Precursor Statue. Yes, it will show up more.**

**Note: That was a ridiculously short chapter, I know, but it was necessary, and I could not rightly meld it with the next chapter. I hope that it was not too underwhelming. The next chapter should be a bit more exciting, if you can wait until then. Thank you for your continued support. Review if you see fit. Until next time! Ciao!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Return to the Palace!

**Please forgive my absence! I was in Texas for an event, and I have not had time to write! My apologies! I belted this chapter out. I hope it is alright. Chapter 9!**

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**Chapter 9 – Return to the Palace?!**

Horace felt a bit more at ease as he and Yong flew toward the Underground Headquarters. He zipped around the other floating vehicles, flying closer to the buildings than he otherwise would have as a Krimzon Guard went by on one of their specially designed hover bikes, not wanting to get close for fear that he would be recognized, or chased down for flying too close. As they grew closer to the slums, Horace glanced around to make sure none of the Guard was watching, then dropped to the lower hover setting, going down into the cul-de-sac that contained the building in which Vash awaited their return. He parked his bike next to the door to the headquarters, taking the keys from the ignition, and dismounted the bike, walking over to the door. As he opened it, Yong jumped off his shoulder again, looking at the flickering lights inside quietly. Horace walked in, closing the door behind him, and went down the stairs, Yong darting after him. Vash was pacing in front of the table, a grin on his normally stoic face. As soon as he saw Horace approaching him, the grin grew a little bit, and he turned, inspecting a yellowed paper with some writing on it that Horace could not see from his position.

" The slums' water is back on! I'd love to see the heads roll when the Baron finds out."

Horace did not seem amused. As glad as he was that Tannous was going to be annoyed, he knew that his accomplishment would not really harm the man. He was growing impatient, and he wanted to do something more, something that would actually hurt the cruel Baron.

"Yeah. I'm sure he's losing lots of sleep over this arm-pit of the city. We've done what you asked. Now when do we see the Shadow?"

Vash's grin disappeared and he glared over his shoulder at Horace.

"When I say so, _if_ I say so."

He looked back at the paper and gestured for Horace to come to where he could see it.

"But before I even think about it, I want you to take care of an ammo dump we've I.D.'d in the Fortress. Lots of Krimzon Guards, constant patrols."

Horace glanced at the page, seeing a map of the fortress in fading black ink displayed there. Yong peeked over the top of the table, then climbed up so he could see better while Vash continued his explanation.

"We know it's vulnerable, and the Underground needs **you** to blow up all the ammo you find inside."

As he spoke the word 'all', he threw an arm out, catching Yong and knocking him painfully over backwards, onto his rear. Yong rubbed the spot on his face where Vash had hit him, looking a bit annoyed as both of the other men continued to ignore him. Vash did not even seem to register Yong's presence as he punched towards the weasel boy, finishing his explanation. Yong, having stood back up, cringed away from the punch, not wanting to get hit again.

"Get all of it, and we'll deal a body blow to the Baron."

Yong regained his composure, standing firm and glaring at Vash.

"You're sending us in, tough guy, da ze! So what's with all this '**we'll **deal a body blow' stuff, da ze?"

Vash glared back at Yong and the room was silent for just a moment, then Horace spoke up.

"That's fine. I want the Baron to know it's **me** who's hurting him."

Horace's fist hit the desk at the word 'me' for emphasis. Vash smirked.

"Wunderbar."

Yong sighed and walked over.

"Fine, fine, da ze. Let's get going, da ze."

Horace nodded and, without further ado, the pair walked out.

Once the door was shut behind them, Yong sighed again.

"**Another** mission, da ze… This is getting ridiculous, da ze."

Horace shrugged.

"It's annoying me too, but he's got the connections. We have to make him trust us before he'll let us see his leader."

He mounted the bike and kicked it into gear, checking his map. The fortress was not too far away, but the feeling that this was counterproductive prodded at his mind. He had spent a significant amount of time trying to break out of that place, now, here he was, heading that way so he could break in again. He shoved that feeling aside. It was going to deal a considerable blow to Tannous, and that was what was important. He put the map away and started toward the fortress at full speed, his brown eyes full of determination.

"Let's do this."

* * *

**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong, Vash**

**Note: Once more, sorry about that pause. With any luck, it will not happen again. I should be back to my normal schedule now, since I do not have any other oddities, so you can expect the next chapter the week after next. I would appreciate your comments, as always. Until next time. Good night and have a lovely day!**


	10. Chapter 10 - The Enemy of my Enemy

**Again, sorry for the long pause! There was a lot going on last week, and, due to being on a shared computer, I was unable to finish this chapter the week I was supposed to post it. I hope this was worth the extended wait! I give you, my dear readers, Chapter 10!**

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**Chapter 10 – The "Enemy" of my Enemy**

Horace zig-zagged his way through the city, dodging other flying vehicles as well as the guards until, finally, he ended up next to a door that had been marked specially on his map when he first got it as an alternate entrance to the fortress. He left his bike next to the door and, checking to make sure no one was watching, he heaved the door open, slipping inside quickly and quietly. Once the door was shut again, he looked around. Sitting just inside was a tank with a single, spiked roller on the front, its engine running semi-audibly and the roller spinning almost lazily. Horace hardly took note of the vehicle as he spotted the entrance to the ammo dump. It looked like it should have been an electrically charged gate of some sort, but it was unlocked, likely due to some Underground operative clearing the way for him. He started walking through, then froze very briefly as the computer voice came to his ears. What he heard made him quickly start running.

"Unauthorized use of fortress door. Activating security tank."

Even as he ran, he heard the tank rolling toward him. It was faster than he had expected it to be, seeming to almost be nipping at his heels with the spiked roller. A red light came from the vehicle and he ran faster, getting away from that red light. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw what looked like a target projected on the wall behind him, and the tank sent four sets of two bullets flying at it, hitting the wall with frightening accuracy. He glanced at Yong on his shoulder and saw the weasel boy clinging for dear life; his eyes jammed shut and his breathing hard and fast. Still, he managed to give Horace a thumbs up. The terrain he had to deal with this time was very similar to the set up he had faced while escaping the dungeon – Swiss cheese-like metal platforms and a sheer drop if he estimated poorly how far he had to jump. As he gauged the distance and height to the second platform, he found himself ducking to avoid the next stream of bullets aimed to kill him. As the tank was searching for where it predicted he would be next, Horace leapt up two more platforms, onto a straight stretch. He sighed softly in relief as he saw a barred metal divider blocking the tank's path to him, as well as the path of the guns, and he started to slow, but the tank plowed right through the divider. Horace started running again. He groaned softly at what lay before him. There was a slightly wavy path, lined with large guns, each equipped with a laser targeting system. The laser moved back and forth along his path until, he assumed, it was broken, at which point it would follow whatever broke it and shoot it down. Still with the tank following, he jumped over the first laser, carefully dodging the target the tank projected, and landed carefully short of the next laser. Once he was sure he could jump the next one, he proceeded in doing so, just barely landing before one of the shots from the tank could hit him. Glancing back, he could see the tank gaining on him, so he sped up, somehow managing to dodge all the lasers and still not get shot or run over by the tank. He found himself, then, in a dead end. The only way to proceed was either to wait for the tank to break the next divider, or to find a way up to a shelf of a walkway above where he was, which, of course, was just too high to jump up to. As previously, Lady Luck was on his side. In the middle of this dead end, there was a single box, coincidentally just large enough, both in width and height, to allow him to reach the walkway. The only problem, of course, was getting onto it, then up to the walkway without getting shot by the tank. He found a place to stand where the tank could not hit him, waiting for a chance to jump. His patience soon paid off as the tank targeted a spot on the wall next to him, and he leaped swiftly onto the box. Without a moment's hesitation, he jumped for the walkway, wincing as the bullets whizzed by his foot… and he missed the edge of the walkway. He grabbed wildly for something to latch onto, sighing in relief as he managed to grab a pipe sticking out of the wall. Horace smirked slightly, spinning himself around it and releasing, landing gracefully on the walkway above.

"The Baron really should look into getting those pipes fixed. They're sticking out everywhere."

His mood was short lived, though, as he was forced to run across more Swiss cheese metal, the tank, having crashed through the metal barrier, following close below and shooting up at him, through the holes in his walkway. He swore softly to himself, avoiding the target with all his skill. He was able to stand in relative safety at the end of the pathway, due to it being solid floor next to a wall, but he knew he could not stay there for long. He had to get to that ammo dump, but that required going through another of those gates, like he had gone through at the beginning, only this one actually was electrically charged. He sighed as he saw what he had to do. There were two power generators in the room he was now next to, each with a set of platforms revolving slowly around them, and a slightly smaller than human-sized capsule of electricity in the center of the top. Those were powering the gate. He had to break them, and continue to avoid that tank's shots as he did so. Taking a deep breath, he waited for the next platform to come around, then jumped onto it, running across the piece that connected the platform to the generator and shattering the glass with a powerful kick. He winced a bit at some electricity that ran up his leg, but did not cry out. Instead, he shook it off, dodged a few more bullets, and leapt onto the next platform. He dashed straight to the next capsule, not even pausing to shake off the electric current that went through him after he broke it. The gate, as he had anticipated, powered down and, without further ado, he dove through it, once again barely avoiding getting shot by the tank. To his relief, Horace saw no way for the cursed vehicle to follow him. He exhaled and walked around a bit, letting the shocks from breaking the capsules wear off before he went any farther. Yong patted his head with a black-furred paw, breathing a sigh of relief as well.

"That was intense, da ze. How ya feeling, da ze?"

Horace stood up straight, looking much better than he probably should have, considering what he had just gone through.

"Fine. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of that tank, though."

Yong gave a small nod.

"Agreed, da ze. You alright to keep going now, da ze?"

Horace nodded, turning to the next section he had to infiltrate. He jumped across a large, empty space using platforms that were crossing the expanse, just in time to hear a guard across the way come walking toward the edge.

"Payback's a bitch."

Horace made a face, clearing that last jump and landing right in front of the guard that had spoken, as well as a single companion. He sighed, knocking them both out with a swift chop to the throat apiece. As they crumpled to the ground, he stepped around them, walking calmly around a few metal dividers, across the gap a couple more times, and to the next doorway, where he knocked out a few more Krimzon Guards. Yong looked at him oddly.

"You always knock them out, Horace, da ze. Why is that, da ze?"

Horace shrugged, looking at one of the unconscious men in the armored red suits.

"Because they're just doing their jobs. I can't just go around killing random people."

Yong gave a small shrug.

"I guess not, da ze… Not that they'd do the same for you if it came down to it, da ze…"

Horace shrugged, leaping over a pad of spikes as he went through the doorway, just to come face to face with a few more guards. He dealt with them the same way.

"I'd be no better than the Baron if I killed everyone who disagrees with me, wouldn't I? I'm just here to destroy the ammo. Nothing more."

Yong gave a nod, holding on tight as Horace jumped over more spikes.

"True, da ze."

Horace nodded and rounded the corner, finding himself in another dead end, but a dead end with fairly flimsy boxes blocking an entrance to the lower floor in the ground. Horace had only to jump forcefully on the boxes to find himself on the ground downstairs. He hopped across another empty expanse, up a few box-like steps, and walked through a door, where there lay a stack of eco barrels. Horace started walking by them, but paused as something on top of one of them caught his eye. It looked like something a guard was supposed to keep on him at all times, so he picked it up with an upraised eyebrow. Yong's eyes glinted.

"Cool, da ze! That's a security pass, da ze! We need those to get through security checkpoints, da ze."

Horace gave a small nod and was about to pocket the item when a sudden banging noise caused him to pause, looking in the direction the noise had come from. He put a finger to his lips, giving a soft 'shh'. Gesturing for Yong to follow, Horace walked stealthily toward a grate in the floor, lying down so his head was just at the edge of it, and they peered down. It seemed to be a few stories down – the drop would likely kill them if they were to fall – but they still could see a pair of Krimzon Guards standing in front of around two dozen of the eco barrels, facing what looked to be a couple of Metal Heads. Straining their ears, they could hear the almost robotic-sounding voice of one of the guards, but, to their shock, it was neither a battle cry, nor a demand the creatures leave. Instead, what they heard shocked them to the core.

"These barrels are the last shipment of eco. The Baron says take them and get out."

The creatures growled at the pair, who cocked their weapons and pointed them threateningly at the monsters. Horace and Yong frowned, looking at each other in surprise. Horace was the first to find his voice again.

"Metal Heads in the city? Why are the guards giving them eco?"

Yong looked like he was about to try and respond, but a sound caught their attention. A sound they had hoped not to hear again: The engine of a security tank. The pair stood up, Yong leaping onto Horace's shoulder and Horace growling in utter annoyance.

"Damn it, not this again…"

He dove aside as a pair of bullets whizzed by his head. To his surprise, behind the boxes next to the grate they had just been lying next to, in a large, open space, there was a bulky, red construct, with what appeared to be sizeable bombs surrounding it and some sort of arm-like electrical connectors linking the construct to the ground – the ammo dump. It was the connectors he had to destroy to overload the whole thing and blow it up, but there was no way he could destroy those things on his own with only his fists and his feet. He ran over to them and frowned, trying to figure out what to do. It was only when he ducked under the red target the tank projected, which set the bullets to hit the body of the construct, that Horace got an idea. After the bullets had hit their target, Horace stood back up, standing next to one of the connectors, waiting until the target had come to rest on him and the arm, then he moved quickly, diving away and letting the tank blow it up for him. The explosion was small, not even big enough to hit him, or the closest of the bombs, but Horace knew that it was already taking its toll. The electricity zapped behind him, the ammo dump beginning to complain about losing the energy that kept the place stable. Horace ran to the next arm, repeating the process the remaining three times until the computer voice sounded.

"Missile systems at critical condition. Failsafe not responding. Danger, warhead detonation imminent. Evacuate immediately."

A door right next to them opened then, the tank no longer seeming to care about them, driving about aimlessly as its systems and the systems around it failed. Horace took the computer's advice without hesitation. He ran to the door at full speed, not seeing any sort of stairs or ladders with which to get back down to the street, but this did not seem so problematic at that moment. He and Yong, hearing the ammo behind them detonating, leapt out that door without a single care. Even as they did so, the whole thing exploded, sending the pair flying out. They hit the roof of a nearby building, bounced once, and slid over the edge. Horace fell, half-conscious, from the roof, hitting the pavement below painfully hard. Then, he blacked out.

A couple minutes later, Horace reawakened, shaking his head to clear it. The silence around him confused him, but, still recovering from the explosion and the fall, he could not quite put his finger on why that was. He frowned, trying to figure out what was wrong, then felt something squirming under him. Lifting himself slightly, he allowed the thing under him to come out. Yong crawled out from under his friend, his black fur a bit singed and matted, and his movement shaky, but, otherwise, he seemed relatively unhurt – a miracle, considering the size difference between the two, and the force of the landing. With a soft cough, Yong looked up at Horace.

"This place has too much excitement, da ze. We need to move back to the country, da ze!"

Horace gave a soft chuckle, slowly standing and picking Yong up, setting him back on his shoulder. He took a deep breath through his nose, brushing himself off, and gave a small, fleeting grin.

"Ahh… I love the smell of explosives."

With those words, he walked back to the bike he had left by the entrance, got on, and drove as quickly as he could back toward the Underground Headquarters to report his success to Vash.

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong**

**Note: So, how was that? Exciting enough? I hope it lived up to everyone's expectations. I tried my hardest to make sure it was good. I do not have any other big things in my schedule that I know of, so, and I am serious this time, I should be back on my normal schedule. Thank you for your patience. I appreciate your comments, so send them this way! Until next time, have a wonderful day! Gute nacht!**


	11. Chapter 11 - A Special Delivery

**See? I told you I would get back to my schedule! And I did! This chapter was fun, so I hope you enjoy it!**

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**Chapter 11 – A Special Delivery**

Yong had a very confident air about him as Horace walked them down into Vash's presence. The pair smelled of gunpowder and sulfur, a lovely combination indeed, which showed their successful mission end. Vash did not have to turn around from scanning the sketches and plans on the wall to know for certain that the persistent pair was back. Yong leaped onto the table as Horace stopped, grinning up at the blond man's back.

"The Demolition Duo has returned, da ze! One barbequed ammo dump served up hot, da ze!"

Vash still did not turn around. He rolled his eyes, inspecting his knife, as though really wishing he could skin the weasel boy right then and there. Horace spoke up then, his arms crossed over his chest.

"We saw something odd while scorching that ammo. The Baron's guards were giving barrels filled with **eco** to a group of _Metal Heads_."

Vash paused in the inspection of his knife, glancing back over his shoulder with a somewhat troubled look on his face.

"Really?"

He turned all the way around, putting a hand on his hip.

"The Shadow will be very interested to hear that."

He still looked bothered by the news, but Yong's next comment brought him out of the feeling.

"You know, so far your gigs have been easier than stealing grass from a sleeping cow, da ze."

Horace rolled his eyes and shook his head at his friend's comment. To both of their surprise, though, Vash gave a small laugh.

"You and the rodent want to start proving yourselves? One of our 'suppliers' needs his payment delivered - a bag of Eco ore. Take the zoomer parked out back and drive it to the Hip Hog Heaven saloon in South Town. Ask for Krew - he'll be there."

Vash lifted his knife and pointed it at Yong, but not threateningly.

"And don't let the Baron's patrols stop you."

He turned, and Yong looked back and forth between Horace, the wall, the ceiling, the table, and Vash's back. It seemed he just could not stay still. Vash continued explaining their mission.

"By the way, when you get there, pump Krew for information. He's wired into the city and may know what the Baron is up to."

Yong put his hands on his hips, his voice confident.

"You can count on us, da ze!"

Vash smirked, his back still to the pair. If anything, he seemed to be starting to trust them. He did not glance back to see them off.

"Are you still here?"

Horace rolled his eyes and, waiting until Yong was on his shoulder, walked back outside. Sure enough, one of the hover bikes that could be seen all throughout the city was sitting outside, just out of sight of the street. He went over to it, getting on, turning the keys in the ignition, and kicked it into the proper hover level, carefully flying out into the open and joining traffic, the bundle of eco carefully secured on the bike's back. Horace pulled his map out of his bag, handing it to Yong.

"Guide me."

Yong took the map and nodded, opening it and scanning it, trying to find the route to take. After a moment, he pointed.

"Just keep left and we'll get to the red security gate, da ze. Lucky we found a red security pass back in the Fortress, huh, da ze?"

Horace nodded slightly, following Yong's directions. Soon, they came to a red force field-like barrier between two buildings. As they approached it, instead of bouncing off it, they went right through, as if it was not even there. The two boys took a breath of satisfaction. They were no longer confined to the slums. In fact, past the security gate, they found the buildings to be rather nice; well off, even. Yong continued guiding Horace through the area, Horace zipping around past citizens and guards on the bike. About a quarter of the way to their destination, a red turret popped out of a circle covering on the ground. Yong made a face at it, tugging on Horace's sleeve.

"Ahh. Horace, you might want to speed up, da ze…"

Horace took a very brief look at the turret, then sped up as, for no apparent reason, it began firing at them. He did his best to avoid having the bullets hit him or the eco package on his tail. Yong ducked down behind Horace's shoulder.

"Why is it doing this, da ze?!"

Horace shook his head, pushing the bike to its full speed.

"Maybe someone finally recognized me. Or they saw the package of eco on the bike. Either way, the Krimzon Guard doesn't want me to get this package where it's supposed to go."

He darted around some other zoomers, getting out of the turret's line of fire, but coming to a line of guard vehicles, all opening fire on Horace, not seeming to care if their bullets hit passing civilians. Vash's voice came to them then, a small, floating device hovering next to Horace.

"Horace, it's a roadblock! They're onto you. Get out of there."

Horace did not reply, dropping out of his hover to get around the guards. Some of the quicker vehicles dropped as well, but not quick enough to catch Horace before he got by. They started going after him, but their speed in the chase was almost half-hearted. Horace pulled up as soon as he was by the roadblock, flying away at full speed. A couple of guards on foot started shooting at him, and he could hear one of them calling in backup.

"He's got a cargo!"

He ignored them to the best of his abilities, finding even more foot soldiers and a zoomer waiting for him around the corner. He evaded them, only to find another roadblock set up. Once again, Vash's droid was hovering next to him.

"Another roadblock… You're almost there. Just get by them."

As he dropped again, going quickly under the guards, he passed into a much brighter part of the city. This seemed to be mostly businesses, with a few rich people scattered in there. He was in a thin stretch of walkway – only one way in and one way out. Luckily, this meant no more surprise attacks from the side. The only guards who seemed to be chasing him now were on foot, which were easy enough to avoid, but the citizens around them screamed and fled, trying to dodge the bullets flying all around them. Horace pitied them, but there was nothing he could really do for them right then. He had to dump this eco on this Krew guy, and fast, before someone managed to shoot him down. As he reached the end of the walkway, he began seeing spotlights being shined into the sky, as well as a lovely blue expanse of water, right in the center of the huge cul-de-sac of city. Horace leaned forward, willing the bike to go faster as he wove around the flashing red bullets. As soon as he was at the edge of the pavement, he flew right off the edge, deciding to take the sea route instead. Only the guards on zoomers or the larger hover cars could follow him out there. He met only a few, which he evaded without too much difficulty, and he flew full speed at where Yong had told him their destination was. Before long, the words 'Hip Hog Heaven Saloon', glowing in purple neon lights, met their eyes, and Horace dodged even more bullets as he finally got back onto the pavement. He turned around, grabbed the package, and abandoned the bike, running the last few feet to the building and the welcoming door. He threw it open with one hand, rolled inside, and slammed the doors shut behind him, hearing bullets hitting the door as he did. With a deep, relieved sigh, Horace turned to see the area before them. It was a casual place – a few neon lights, what looked to be a Whack-a-Mole machine in the corner, a few mounted Metal Head heads on the wall – and the only visible person there pretty well fit what was to be expected in such a place. He was a rather muscular blue-eyed, blond man with a lick of hair that stuck up from under his helmet, and he held a large gun at the ready, crossed over his brown leather bomber jacket in black gloved hands. He looked fairly intimidating, but he made no move to approach the strangers. As Horace walked toward him, Yong smirked.

"Let me handle this, Horace, da ze. Watch my finesse and style, da ze!"

With that, he leaped off his shoulder, Horace trying to remind him of their secondary objective as he did.

"Don't forget to ask about-"

Yong cut him off, addressing the blond man while smirking over his shoulder at his friend.

"Everything's cool, da ze. Nobody panic, da ze."

He ducked down between the man's legs, heading towards the counter.

"Hey, big guy, da ze."

As he reached the bar, he froze, his eyes wide. A hugely fat man on some sort of hovering chair came down from somewhere up above, his bichromatic eyes, one almost pure white and the other red, narrowing at the weasel. Horace silently came up behind Yong, standing next to the blond man quietly, and he, too, stared at the large man in shock and disgust. Everything, including the man's skin color, screamed 'pig'. Yong cleared his throat, managing to find his voice at last.

"You Krew, da ze?"

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**Characters:**

**Horace, Yong, Vash**

**Hugely Fat Man/Krew: As with Kor, a character from the actual game. I honestly could not do this to any of our beloved Hetalia characters... Krew is just too... ewwww...**

**Muscular Blond Man: ?**

**Note: Thank you for all your patience! This chapter, as I said before, was very fun to write, so I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I appreciate your thoughts and comments, so reviews are more than welcomed. Until next chapter, have a lovely night/day. Stay awesome! Good night, all!**


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